Advanced Health and Care joins NHS business framework

Healthcare software provider Advanced Health and Care has been appointed to the NHS Shared Business Services (SBS) Healthcare Clinical Information Systems framework.

The firm will be offering its Adastra and Carenotes clinical patient management systems along with its integrated mobile solutions on four the framework’s lots.

These lots of Lot 1: Core Clinical System requirements applicable to all NHS services, Lot 2: Integrated Emergency Care System provision, Lot 4: Child Health System provision and Lots 6: E-Prescribing System provision to all e-prescribing requirements in the NHS.

The other two lots on the framework where Advanced does not appear cover theatre clinical systems and maternity systems.

“We are very pleased to be included on the SBS framework,” claimed Advanced managing director Jim Chase.

“By reducing the time it takes to procure our market leading and interoperable clinical solutions, NHS providers can take advantage of significant efficiency savings and extend these benefits to improving patient care much sooner than was possible before,” he added.

Billion pound framework for cost effective procurement

The new framework is divided into six lots and is valued at up to £1.25 billion – Advanced is one of 26 suppliers to have been chosen for the four year deal with a potential two year extension.

NHS SBS, which was established to provide huge cost savings for the NHS, has launched the framework as a method of cost effective procurement for healthcare organisations that bypasses the need to partake in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) tendering process.

The organisation claims that this new method of procurement will allow NHS bodies to localise their technology requirements and hold mini-competitions among suppliers in a shorter time frame at a much reduced cost.

Suppliers on the framework will be allowed to bring forward new releases throughout the life of agreement in order to ensure it remains agile.

“This framework is about achieving a far more efficient and strategic way of procuring complex clinical systems that reduces the procurement timescales and saves tens of thousands of pounds in the process,” claimed NHS SBS director of procurement Peter Akid.

“We had an overwhelming number of expresses of interest from suppliers last year. In the intervening months, we have ensured that providers, including specialist clinicians, lead pharmacists and doctors, have been in the driving seat when it comes to defining the specifications and evaluating system functionality, to ensure the framework is right for them.

“As part of this process, interoperability and integration of the systems was a key considering as so too was the ability of Trusts to fine tune the products to their particular requirements.

“The framework has brought together a combination of suppliers who are in the best position to help providers reap the benefits of clinical information systems that can drive forward improvements in patient care,” Akid added.